Slay Me
by Agashi
Summary: After a string of sour relationships, Kaoru is ready to try something a little - a lot? - more casual. Enter Himura Kenshin, a notorious womanizer nicknamed 'The Slayer of Women.' Will she end up as just another notch on his belt, or does he find her just as bewitching and alluring as she finds him?
1. Breakups and Baileys

Warnings: This fic uses the highest rating for a reason. There is crude language, alcohol use, and sexual references throughout. If this material offends you or someone you live with, this fic may not be for you.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

* * *

Takani Megumi was just settling in for a nice evening – maybe catching up on the newest episode of her favorite drama or finally getting a chance to start on that new novel she wanted to read – when she heard a knock on her apartment door.

Sighing irritably, she hit the pause button on her remote, set her glass of Baileys on her coffee table and rose to get the door. If it was that damn chicken-head again, she knew she would be forced to do something unladylike. Shoving him back down the flight of stairs leading up to her second-story apartment sounded about right.

'The man does NOT understand basic foundations in a relationship,' she fumed to herself, giving her hair a quick once-over in the hallway mirror for her lover's benefit regardless. 'Sometimes a woman just needs some time to –'

Bang bang bang.

"Hold ON," she barked, before purposely – some might say childishly – waiting an extra beat before finally deigning to pull the door open. Her mood plummeted when she saw who stood on her threshold.

"Hey Megumi… Can I come in for a while?"

The girl on the other side of the door was only a few years younger than Megumi. Her 22nd birthday was coming up in a few days, in fact. She looked much younger tonight, however, with her hair spilling from its usual jaunty ponytail and her uncommonly blue eyes looking around with the same lost, hurt expression in them that Megumi had seen once or twice already in the recent past.

"Come on in, Kaoru. I hope you brought something stronger than that terrible vodka you brought last time. This is about Enishi, I presume?"

The young woman shuffled in, hanging her purse on the coat-rack, dropping her wet jacket on the floor, and removing her shoes. Patiently, Megumi picked up the cold, dripping garment and switched it with the matching handbag on her coat-rack. Feeling the weight of the purse in her hand, she was mildly surprised that no bottles of liquor or smaller bottles of wine rattled within.

She sighed. Things had to be pretty bad if her friend hadn't even had the presence of mind to stop by Mulligan's for some restorative spirits. She'd suspected for a while that Kaoru's attachment to Enishi had passed over the threshold of casual dating quite some time ago. Now that she thought about it, they'd been together for almost a year.

Making a pit-stop in the kitchen to collect the bottle of Baileys she had stashed in her freezer for a rainy day, Megumi grabbed an extra glass of ice, and made her way to the living room.

Kaoru was sitting on the black leather sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest. It was a defensive posture at complete odds with the strong woman Megumi knew her to be. She squashed the flare of irritation that rose up at the sight. Kaoru needed her support right now, not for her to sit in on judgment.

Besides, with the way her mascara had smudged around her eyes, she looked for all the world like a sad raccoon. Megumi couldn't bring herself to kick the girl while she was down.

Surprisingly, Kaoru spoke first.

"You started without me," she said, mock-accusingly, giving the glass on the coffee-table a significant look. Megumi smiled obligingly before pouring a generous cup of creamy whiskey and offering it to her friend.

"Still plenty of time for you to catch up, raccoon-girl." Okay, she wasn't above a _little_ bit of kicking. Honestly, she would be more sympathetic if this weren't such a recurring thing.

"Enishi and I are done." Megumi kept her face impassive, concentrating on refreshing her own glass before responding.

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean, am I sure? I was there, wasn't I?!" Kaoru had a short fuse at the best of times. Megumi knew it was a defense mechanism that helped her work out her frustrations and kept them from festering inside her, especially during difficult times like these.

Damn it if it didn't annoy the hell out of her though, which was why she always kept alcohol on hand for Kaoru's relationship emergencies. Only getting her drunk would stop the slender, but athletic girl from unleashing her fury on whoever had the misfortune of being her sympathetic ear.

Tipped off by Megumi's arched eyebrow, Kaoru took a swig of her Baileys. She hated that she yelled whenever she got upset. It made her feel guilty, but not guilty enough that she didn't come to Megumi's house every time for help and advice. Her usual concession was to bring booze with her, so she was at least buzzed enough to talk without biting anyone's head off.

This time, however, she'd been so caught up in it all that she'd completely forgotten to bring any with her. She'd cared for Enishi so much… She barely even remembered hopping in the cab to drive over.

"What happened, Kaoru?"

With that, the floodgates opened. Both the tears and the words began pouring out. Megumi concentrated for now on looking sympathetic, and re-filling Kaoru's glass when necessary. Half of what the younger girl was saying made no sense, between her blubbering and gasping, but she knew that there would be plenty of time to decipher what the actual underlying problem was and fix it before the night was over. Luckily she didn't have to be in the clinic until late afternoon tomorrow.

"A-and then, he said that we should try seeing other people," Kaoru's voice broke into a strained whisper, and Megumi wasn't sure if she was intended to hear the next part or not. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I just be like every other girl?"

"Kaoru, I'm sure that the reason he broke up with you had nothing to do with your ability in bed."

'Damn. Too soon,' she thought belatedly, watching a fresh sheen of tears form over Kaoru's pretty blue eyes. She couldn't take the words back now, but in all fairness, they both knew where the conversation had been heading from the moment Kaoru accepted her invitation to come inside.

Not for the first time in her life, Megumi cursed the name Udo Jineh.

"What else could it be? I know I h-have a temper, but he knew that wh-when we got together…" Kaoru didn't want to admit it to herself, but it was much easier to think her inadequacies in the bedroom had led to the failures of her past relationships, than to think it had something to do with her personality.

As if reading her mind, Megumi came back with, "If he's so shallow that sex is all he cares about, then you should be glad he's gone!"

"He tried though," she said quietly, wondering why she still felt the perverse need to defend him. "He stayed with me for almost a year, even though we only had sex once or twice a week by the end…"

"Kaoru, have you considered that maybe it, well… Maybe it wasn't you, it was HIM?" Megumi took another swig, flinching slightly when the ice clinked against her teeth. Kaoru was helping herself to another refill. "I mean, from what you've told me about him, he didn't seem like the most stable of guys to begin with."

Kaoru bristled slightly at first, but then let her shoulders drop in defeat.

"He did show me that picture of his dead sister a while back."

"Exactly, and didn't you say it was a little creepy that she looked a lot like you?"

"It was a little weird, but it could have easily been a coincidence," Kaoru intoned doubtfully.

True, it wasn't by any means unusual for a Japanese girl to have black hair, but the resemblance had gone deeper than that. Kaoru had the same shy smile and delicate jawline as the young Yukishiro Tomoe had before she'd died an untimely death at the age of 20. They even both had blue eyes, though Enishi had claimed that his elder sister's had been a much darker hue; almost black. Coincidently, Kaoru had been the exact same age when she and Enishi had first met.

But the resemblance hadn't been the most disturbing part.

What had been truly unsettling was the way he'd looked at her sometimes as if he were searching for something else; something that he never seemed to find, regardless of the circumstances. Often, he would look away, and the fleeting look of disappointment would tear at her heart.

His eyes, which had first looked at her so tenderly, grew harder and harder as the days passed, until the day he finally told her they should call it quits. If she were really honest with herself, she knew the relationship had not been healthy.

That didn't make it hurt any less, though.

"I really liked him, Megumi. I thought – that night when he opened up to me – that he might be the one…"

The young doctor-to-be felt her own eyes mist over slightly in response to her friend's pain. Kaoru had been unluckier than most in love. And unlike most girls who suffered from strings of bad relationships, it wasn't because she was making the same mistake over and over again.

Before Yukishiro, there had been an aspiring sumo wrestler by the name of Tohrumaru. A nice guy, but the attraction had been mostly one-sided. Kaoru maintained to this day that he had been the only one of her boyfriends to be patient with her in the bedroom. Mostly it hadn't worked out because he too had been horribly inexperienced, but that was how it was with Kaoru.

She typically boiled down all her relationship drama to things that went wrong with the sex.

"Kaoru, your problem is that you think perfect sex is the answer to perfect happiness in a relationship," Megumi was surprised that her words came out sleepier-sounding than she'd intended. How much had they had to drink already? "You're 22-years-old. You need to start having a realistic view of sex, and start paying attention to what's causing the real problems."

"Sex IS important to a healthy relationship, Megumi," Kaoru snapped, though she had to fight a wave of dizziness to do it. "So you think I should just give up on trying to get someone who's good in bed?"

"No, but at least trying for someone who isn't fighting a dead sister complex, a binge-eating disorder, or a disgusting fetish for underage girls is a start!"

Kaoru gasped, and Megumi was immediately recalcitrant.

"Okay, that last bit was too far. I still stand by everything else I've said though." She eyed the bottle of Baileys with a thoughtful frown. Surely it wasn't empty already...? Sure Kaoru's words were starting to slur, and Megumi was feeling the floor tilt up whenever she had to re-cross her legs, but they were only pleasantly buzzed…

She grinned at Kaoru, who looked back at her glassily.

"Just find a nice, normal guy who can give you an orgasm, and call it a day." Part of her was appalled at the crude direction their conversation had taken, but a bigger part said, 'Screw it. This is Kaoru we're talking to.'

Said girl continued to frown, and look as though she wouldn't mind resuming her crying jag from earlier. She mumbled something inaudible. Megumi leaned closer to hear, fighting gravity as it tried to make her fall off her seat as she did so.

Something something any…?

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'There aren't any.'"

"What do you mean, 'There aren't any'?"

"I mean, maybe I'm just not the type of girl who can orgasm during sex."

"Nonsense. You can do when you're by yourself, can't you?"

"Megumi, this is getting weird."

"Answer the question, Kaoru."

"Well, yes… but—"

"No buts. If you can do it by yourself, then - - wait," she looked at the younger girl with suspicious astonishment. "You mean you've never…?"

Kaoru blushed all the way to the roots of her hair; an impressive feat considering how red the alcohol had already turned her.

"I've come close a couple times!" she yelled defensively before throwing back the last remaining drops of her drink.

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"I know at least one guy who can give you an orgasm… and I'm calling him right now."

"WHAT?!" Kaoru sat stunned, watching her older friend slowly draw her cellphone from out of her purse. Finally the threat registered in her drunken mind when the perfectly manicured nails began tapping numbers into the keypad.

She lunged for Megumi, trying very hard to knock the phone out of her hands. Unfortunately, the abrupt shift in posture proved to be too much for her stomach to handle, and Kaoru was forced to beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, the phone was on its second ring, and Megumi was just beginning to realize that this might be a very, very bad idea. She was about to drop the cell from her ear and disconnect, when a smooth male voice answered.

"Hello?" Even now, years later, he could still make her melt with just the velvety tones of his voice.

"Ah, hello Kenshin. It's good to hear from you," she said hastily, trying to keep her own words polished and sophisticated, completely forgetting that she had been the one to call him in the first place.

He chuckled, not unkindly. There was quite a bit of noise in the bar, but he could hear the drunken slur of her voice as clearly as if she were sitting right next to him, martini in hand.

"You too, Miss Takani. It's been a long time." It had been a very long time in fact. So long ago that Kenshin sincerely doubted she had contacted him for a simple booty-call.

Not that it was unusual for women to call him up months, or even years after the fact... Megumi simply wasn't one of those girls. He waited to hear the reason behind the call.

"I'm in a bit of a bind, Kenshin. Or at least, my friend is… I was hoping you could help? For old times' sake?"

"What kind of bind?"


	2. Favors among Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

* * *

Kenshin hung up with a thoughtful frown.

What Megumi suggested was technically innocent. Simply take the girl out a few times to get her mind off a bad breakup. While he considered himself to be as altruistic as the next guy, this seemed like a bad idea to him for several reasons.

One, he wasn't an idiot. He knew where Megumi wanted this to go… and while having sex with a woman straight out of a relationship wasn't something he was morally against, doing things like this with someone so young gave him pause.

True, Megumi had been about the same age when they had gotten together, but her maturity had been a large part of the appeal. Kenshin preferred to keep his distance from the younger twenty-somethings that batted their eyes at him. They were too full of hopes and expectations…

Two, call him crazy, but this didn't sound like something a young woman just out of a serious relationship would want to do. Did Megumi's friend even know about this arrangement? He had no desire to force his attentions on someone who didn't want them.

Three, he despised blind dates. There was always an unavoidable element of awkwardness to them that he liked to sidestep by only dating women he met in person. Not that she was a complete stranger, but…

Which led him directly to number four: he remembered her. He'd only seen her once, back when he and Megumi had been in the final few days of their relationship. He'd been making breakfast in her kitchen when there had been a knock at the door. Megumi had risen to answer it, and he remembered the girl teetering on the doorstep reminding her friend sharply that they had made plans to go shopping that morning.

Megumi had delicately pointed out her company, and Kenshin had just barely glimpsed her through the doorway. She'd blushed charmingly and stammered an apology.

Young and sweet was the only way to describe her, though even with his keen eyesight he couldn't make out anything too distinct. She had her long, raven hair in a high ponytail and wore a simple blouse with jeans. Not at all the type of clothing worn to entice, but he'd admired her youthful looks in the same detached way an artist might admire a sculpture or painting.

He recalled most vividly the creamy peach shade of her skin. Neither too pale nor too tanned, it was a perfect color somewhere in-between the two. He knew grown women who paid exorbitant amounts of money to get their flesh looking the way hers did effortlessly and she fairly radiated health and vitality.

She'd seemed like a high school student at the time, though Megumi had mentioned she was older than she looked.

It would be odd to see her again, but that wasn't reason enough in and of itself not to go through with this.

Smirking a bit at the shapely bartender who persisted in giving him winks and sly smiles whenever he met her gaze, Kenshin drained what was left of his martini and decided to call it a night.

As he made his way to the taxi drop-off, he continued to weigh his options.

He certainly didn't feel like he owed Megumi anything. They'd parted on relatively civil terms, although she had felt the need to lay out an ultimatum, just like so many women had before her. Either he could enter into a committed relationship with her, or she would walk.

_He_ had walked, and that had been that.

He did harbor a small amount of respect for the young med student, if for no other reason than the fact that she had not come crawling back when all was said and done, the way he'd half expected her to.

Maybe he didn't give women enough credit… but to be fair, they didn't seem to give him much credit either when they classified him as a low enough person that he'd be willing to fuck a friend as a favor.

Perhaps this was an opportunity to prove them all wrong.

Kenshin snorted at his own inner thoughts. Was he going senile in his old age? Twenty-eight wasn't exactly too old to change one's stripes, but that was assuming it was something he even wanted to do. Laying the matter aside would be an act of chivalry, and the gods only knew, he'd never pretended to be a gentleman.

'I'll show up,' he decided at last. 'If she comes, fine. If not, I consider myself off the hook.'

* * *

Kaoru awoke with a hangover so intense, she could _hear _it buzzing around in her ears. Peeking an eye open, she cautiously took in her surroundings.

Apparently she had spent the night at Megumi's. She still wore her clothing from the previous night, and the mascara that had caked her eyes when she'd cried was beginning to crust and peel off her face. Gently, she rolled herself up into a seated position on the couch and planted her feet on the floor.

Even that small movement caused her stomach to roil.

"Breakfast?" Megumi yelled, heartlessly.

"Ugh…" was her eloquent response. How that jerk of a friend of hers managed to do this every time without a hangover was still an irritating mystery to her, though Megumi insisted it was only because Kaoru didn't drink often enough to build any sort of tolerance. 'Still, though, she doesn't have to be so damn cheerful about it,' she grumped.

Megumi came around the corner, showered, primped, and dressed in a form-fitting sweater dress of sea green cashmere and knee-high suede boots. Kaoru suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, wondering if the woman ever just bummed around her house in sweatpants and a T-shirt during the day.

She came bearing coffee though, so Kaoru was inclined to think more charitable thoughts about her as she sipped the restorative beverage.

"Guess what, Kaoru?"

"Hmmm?" God, that dash cinnamon creamer was heaven itself.

"We're going out tonight."

"Are we?" She wished the coffee were a bit sweeter, but realized it would probably counteract the calming effect it was having on her stomach.

"We are. The reservation is at 7:00 tonight which gives us exactly four hours to get you looking sexy and available." Kaoru nearly choked on her coffee.

"Four?! What time is it?! How long did I sleep?"

"Basic math, Kaoru. If we have four hours, that would mean it is almost three in the afternoon," she said, speaking as if Kaoru were a retarded rock. "You probably don't recall, but we passed out pretty late last night."

Kaoru gazed down at the mug in her hands, taking in the creamy ceramic and the design of ivy crawling up into the handle. She'd almost forgotten why she came here in the first place.

"I don't feel much like going out, Megumi."

"Kaoru, this has been a long time coming, whether you realize or not," the older woman countered, her tone turning genuinely sympathetic. "We've cried about it together, now it's time to bounce back."

"I've barely cried about it. I… I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seen this coming for a while, but it still feels too new, Megumi. I can't…" She knew her words were falling on deaf ears when her friend began waving away her arguments mid-sentence.

"Honestly Kaoru! I'm not talking about punting you back out into the dating world just yet… I'm talking about dinner, drinks, and conversation." Megumi hesitated. If she left it at that, she wouldn't technically be lying to her friend; only omitting the truth.

But at the doubtful, stubborn look that was beginning to dawn on Kaoru's face, she knew there was only one way to make her plan work. "It'll be just me and you. We can talk more about Enishi if you need to, but I think it would be good for you to at least get outside and see for yourself that plenty of guys still find you attractive and desirable."

"With YOU sitting next to me, looking like THAT?" Kaoru's tone was sarcastic, but the mulish look was receding. Good, time to go in for the kill.

"Look, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Kaoru," she said firmly. "I already called out of work to spend the day with you, so you'd better not leave me hanging."

Bam. There it was. The look of reluctant acceptance she'd been waiting for. She hated to trick Kaoru like this, but the girl was so stubborn and no one but Megumi was left in her life to look out for her best interests.

"Fine," Kaoru agreed, moodily. "We're going to have to leave from my place though. I didn't bring any clothes or shoes with me, and there's no way I'm trying to borrow anything of yours again."

She glared rather pointedly at her own chest. Megumi snorted with laughter at her friend's continued displeasure with her cup size. It was an endearing gesture of normalcy that signaled to Megumi that maybe her friend would be all right sooner than she thought.

"We'll head to your place first then. I'll drive."

It was about a quarter to four by the time the two women arrived at Kaoru's. Her apartment was in a distinctly poorer part of town than Megumi's, and she only made the rent every month because she had split all the payments with her roommate.

Speaking of which, Misao was stretched out on the couch in their shared living room when Kaoru unlocked the door and stepped aside for Megumi to enter.

The petite girl was snoring her head off, a textbook lying open on her small chest. When she saw the cover, Kaoru gave in to a silent eye roll.

Micro-economics. There was no doubt in her mind that the subject, which bored Misao to tears, was only of such interest to her because of the suave, arrogant class of future businessmen who sat through the lectures with her.

'Or one stone-cold businessman in particular,' she thought, with a shake of her head.

She made her way to the bathroom, listening as Megumi woke the slumbering 19-year-old by unceremoniously tossing a cushion on her face and turning the tv on.

The indignant squawk that sounded from the living room gave Kaoru a reason to smile, despite her depressed mood.

It had felt good to get everything off her chest the night before. She needed those late-night, drunken chats with Megumi whenever life decided to dump on her.

She loved Misao to death, but Megumi had such a practical, calming air to her and knew how to keep herself neutral. If she'd invited Misao to those same girl-talks, she knew that between her own penchant for snark and the younger girl's fierce loyalty, their discussion would rapidly degenerate into a man-hating frenzy.

Which was satisfying in its own way, but wasn't what she'd needed.

Stripping off her dirty clothing and stepping under the hot spray of the shower, Kaoru took a moment to let her hair soak before reaching for her favorite shampoo. It was scented like mint and rosemary, tingling pleasantly where it met her scalp.

The hot water helped un-fog her brain and the sweet smell of her body wash lifted her spirits slightly.

Megumi was right. She wasn't that girl who got all despondent and depressed for months on end when her boyfriend broke up with her.

Enishi was well and truly gone. No amount of sulking was going to bring him back and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure she'd want him back if it did.

Feeling as if she should go the whole nine yards, Kaoru gave her legs a quick swipe with her razor and even used the scented shaving cream she rarely touched, instead of just soap. Once her legs were smooth, she adjusted the temperature of the spray to lukewarm and conditioned her long hair carefully.

Enishi had loved her hair…

Violently, she flipped the tap off and threw back the shower curtain. 'No more of that shit tonight,' she thought furiously. 'I cried already, so now it's just time to suck it up and move on.'

After spending the next few minutes blow-drying her hair and wrapping herself in a terry cloth bathrobe, Kaoru made her way back to the living room. Misao and Megumi threw themselves apart from where they'd been leaning close together, whispering.

Megumi played this off by stretching out her long legs and casually turning her attention back to Kaoru. Misao just looked guilty.

She stared at them both with suspicion before deciding that Megumi had just briefed Misao on Kaoru's current relationship situation. She sighed; feeling more resigned than upset by it.

Sharing the news with Misao was fine by her. The fewer people she had to talk to about it, the better in fact. Besides, the petite girl had been bound to notice Enishi's absence eventually, since he'd been such a regular guest at the apartment over the last few months.

"I'm doing your hair tonight Kaoru, so don't bother putting it in that damn ponytail," Misao announced, breaking into her thoughts.

"As long as you don't braid it…" Kaoru replied blandly, tugging slightly on the younger girl's long, tight plait. Megumi coolly interjected before this devolved into pointless fisticuffs.

"And I'm doing your makeup, so all you have to do is pick something to wear." Kaoru eyed Megumi's conservative sweater-dress.

"Is the place fancy or casual?" Megumi's answering smirk set Kaoru's nerves on edge for a reason she couldn't explain.

"Just dress to be seen, my dear. Dress to impress."

"Is this going to be a job interview, or something?"

"Just wear something sexy, damn it!"

"Fine… fine."

* * *

Notes:

Thanks so much to everyone who left a review! I'll endeavor not to disappoint, but I feel I should offer fair warning: This fic is MUCH different from my usual fare, so there might be a bit of a learning curve for me to overcome as I explore the darker side of the romance genre.

Some things ought to be cleared up, I think:

1. If you aren't already familiar with my writing, I dig purple prose. Apologies in advance...

2. While this fic is filed under Battousai/Kaoru, the Battousai of this fic's universe is quite a bit more tame than most other writers' interpretations. At least at the present time. He isn't mindlessly depraved or violent, but he's definitely not the gentle Rurouni either. He's somewhere between the two, but considering the content of this story, we'll probably wind up seeing more of the man (woman?) slayer side, hence why I still consider the pairing Battousai/Kaoru.

3. I'm currently serving overseas on deployment. This means my updates may sometimes be sporadic, as my internet connection and computer are not always reliable, and I can't always predict when I'll have time to focus on writing. That being said, I'll try my best to plan ahead and update, at the very least, on a weekly basis.

4. Comments and critiques are always welcome, and I've already received a few. Every author loves feedback, so please don't be shy! I don't do the whole let-me-hold-this-chapter-ransom-until-I-receive-th is-many-reviews-thing, but hearing from people who have read my stories really is a powerful motivator, and it has helped get me off my lazy butt and write at times.

Until next week, my friends!


	3. Ice-breakers and Interest

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

* * *

"Is this the place?" Kaoru asked aloud, inspecting the moody, atmospheric décor with interest. The creamy stucco building with its well-manicured garden looked more like a romantic getaway than a restaurant.

"Uh-huh."

The wide, expansive windows to the restaurant were draped lavishly in a multitude of gauzy curtains that glowed with all the colors of the sunset and the polished wooden beams that framed the structure were a dark mahogany that complimented its russet hues. Rich lighting from inside threw into relief the silhouettes of well-dressed couples dining in the windows.

The setting seemed cozy, but sophisticated.

Kaoru smiled a little. She still didn't really feel like being out, but Megumi seemed determined to spoil her with some good food at a nice restaurant. Who was she to turn it down?

Glancing over to say so, Kaoru noticed her friend paying an extraordinary amount of attention to the road in front of them. Odd, considering this was the same woman who often applied mascara while cruising through traffic on her way to work.

"Hmm, I don't see a parking garage nearby," Megumi murmured, glancing around the building. Kaoru scanned the surrounding area and arrived at the same conclusion.

"Haven't you been here before?"

"I didn't drive last time."

"Oh. Try doubling around to the other side. No, through the intersection," Kaoru pointed, before realizing that Megumi was pulling up to the front sidewalk leading up to the restaurant. "What are you doing?"

Megumi hit the switch to unlock their doors and whipped out her watch to check the time.

"We're already a few minutes late for our reservation. You should go on in and let them seat you while I park the car."

"You sure?" Kaoru asked doubtfully, suddenly nervous about entering such an obviously upscale place by herself, not knowing what to expect inside.

"Yeah," Megumi was already giving her a nudge, and she was forced to open the car door and stumble part of the way out. "Hurry Kaoru! They might not hold our table if it's a busy night."

'Sorry, raccoon-girl… Hopefully you're not too pissed.'

"All right, I'm going!" The silver Mercedes was already peeling around the corner of the intersection when Kaoru started making her way up the walk to the restaurant called Valle Del Sol.

The air was cool and crisp for mid-summer, and Kaoru took heart in the fact that it really was a beautiful night. The sun had set, turning the sky into a gentle blaze of pink and purple. The moon wasn't quite overhead yet, and the city lights were too bright to allow for any star-gazing, but the smooth, cloudless backdrop against Tokyo skyscrapers was still striking in its own way.

'Why do I have butterflies?' she wondered. There was a tingle of awareness in the back of her mind that refused to subside, no matter how many calming breaths she took. She didn't understand why, but the feeling made her gut clench as though she was teetering on the edge of something important.

Shaking her head at her own nonsense, she reasoned that it must be stress. The past 24 hours had been hell for her, after all. Drawing strength from the gentle fragrance of freesia and hydrangeas, Kaoru drew herself together and pushed open the door.

One look at her surroundings and Kaoru's flutter of nervousness became outright apprehension. Something wasn't right.

The atmosphere was even more romantic on the inside.

Dim lighting overhead granted a soft glow to the amber and topaz décor, giving the restaurant a warm, vibrant look reminiscent of a Spanish villa. What's more, while there were some tables in the center of the room crowding around the live entertainment – consisting of a mandolin trio – most of the tables were set in little alcoves with windows to simultaneously afford couples privacy and a nice view.

Embarrassment lent a quiet, shy edge to her words and the host was forced to lean closer to hear her.

"Table for two under the name Megumi?" Kaoru nodded, blushing a bit. The host was quite good-looking; obviously foreign with short dark curls and smiling black eyes.

"Right this way, miss."

She followed him around a corner into a more sedate area of the restaurant with mostly unoccupied tables. The candlelight was making her uneasy.

"Here you are, miss. Shall I bring out the menus for you both?"

Kaoru's voice quite literally died in her throat. Heat flooded her cheeks and it was all she could do to prevent her jaw from going unattractively slack.

She hadn't noticed him at first; he blended into the environment so well. Although now that she was looking, she was having an impossible time tearing her eyes from his stunning mane of crimson hair and the strange, cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

His mouth drew into a smirk of lazy sensuality.

'He's—'

* * *

'Gorgeous...' Kenshin thought to himself, eyeing the woman who approached. She hadn't noticed him yet, which was fortunate because he was having some trouble keeping his guard up.

He'd been expecting a thin, twiggy waif of a girl with tired eyes and an unflattering breakup haircut.

Instead, he was greeted with a sweet oval face that looked anything but tired, and rosebud lips that had parted slightly in wonder as she took in her surroundings. There was certainly a child-like grace in her manner, but there was no denying that the past three years had matured her into a woman.

He drank in the curves of her form, complimented by a figure-hugging, sleeveless dress of royal blue. The color matched her eyes exactly, and the short length of her skirt showed off the feminine contour of her long legs. Delicate lace work covered the entire dress, laid over a satin under-layer that gave it a semi-iridescent look. The neckline was modest, but the back dipped so daringly low that it nearly revealed the whole length of her spine. A single strap on either side came together to tie just above her shoulder blades, emphasizing the vulnerability of the look.

Her long, raven locks were arranged in a wave of wind-blown curls, and her skin – the peachy complexion he remembered so well – was a creamy perfection that looked so utterly touchable that his fingers actually twitched.

Remembering himself just in time to offer the girl an indolent smirk, he watched with interest at the play of emotions that crossed her lovely face.

A noticeable blush came first as she took in his appearance. Her eyes lingered just a bit longer than was polite on his shoulders and muscular forearms. She bit her lip unconsciously, and Kenshin couldn't help the heady stroke of ego that made the blood rush more quickly through his veins. Then confusion set in, and he realized where the situation stood.

'Why would you keep her in the dark about this, Megumi?' he pondered, before choosing his next words carefully. While the evening had started out feeling like some odious chore he'd gotten stuck with, things were rapidly turning interesting… and he had no intention of allowing her to leave before he got to see how events would play out between them.

"Megumi thought we might enjoy each other's company, Miss Kaoru," he lowered his voice to a velvety purr that he'd been assured could melt the panties off any woman within hearing distance. "I hope you don't mind…"

"I DO mind, actually." To his utter shock, the expression on his raven-haired beauty's face had turned thunderous. "Who are you to decide-? And how could SHE-? AURGH!"

She quickly whipped out her cell-phone, avoiding his amused gaze. Scrolling through her contacts and punching in Megumi's number angrily, Kaoru was barely able to contain her mortification and rage. How could her friend do this to her?!

Kenshin made a small, discrete motion and the gaping host gratefully bowed himself away, muttering that their server would be along shortly.

He returned his attention to his reluctant date just as she spat her last round of creative expletives onto her friend's voice-mail.

Raging on a recorded line was not nearly as cathartic as Kaoru had been hoping for, but the good news was that it successfully provided an outlet for her fury that didn't involve throttling any innocent passersby. The bad news was that without her rage, all she had left was her hurt and embarrassment to hang on to.

She couldn't face him; this beautiful bastard who had been in cahoots with her friend. Under other circumstances, maybe… but she had definitely fucked it all up now by throwing a tantrum in the middle of the damn restaurant.

She started when she felt a hand, warm and callused, close around her left shoulder. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with the golden-eyed man. Dressed in heels, she was barely an inch off his height, which was really quite short for a man. Actually – she peered more closely at him – from this distance, she saw that his eyes were much closer to being amber in color.

"Stay and have dinner with me," he commanded softly, leaning in so that he spoke almost directly into her ear.

Even though her inner feminist blanched at the words, she couldn't help the warmth that coiled low in her belly at the sound of his low, baritone voice. In straight-leg charcoal slacks and an expensive black dress shirt with two silver pinstripes going down each side, he was probably the most handsome man Kaoru had ever met, and the way his eyes smoldered as he spoke gave her chills.

'That's right,' he thought darkly. 'Lean into me…' Kaoru's lips had subconsciously parted with the heavier rate of her breathing and Kenshin smirked in victory. It would have all too easy to claim those soft, ruby lips, but he knew he risked spooking her if he tried anything so forward.

He pulled away suddenly, leaving Kaoru to blink and wobble a bit. Her fleeting look of disappointment was all the reward Kenshin needed, and he continued in a more casual tone of voice.

"No sense in wasting the opportunity, is there? You might as well make the best of a bad situation," he smiled wolfishly. "It's my treat."

Kaoru seemed to gather her mental faculties and torn dignity enough to give a withering response.

"No thank you. I'll stay, but I'd feel more comfortable paying my own way."

"Understandable, Miss Kaoru."

"Just Kaoru is fine."

"But the 'Miss' suits you, Kaoru." He guided her gently, but firmly to her seat, taking the opportunity to place his hand on the small of her back. He pretended not to notice the brief shiver she gave at the contact, or the suspicious look she leveled on him when he pulled away to reclaim his own seat.

"It makes me feel old." She met his gaze boldly here, in silent challenge. "Or like I'm being made fun of."

At that, Kenshin threw back his head and gave a genuine bark of laughter. Her suspicions were not baseless, and he found them oddly charming. It had been a while since the last time a woman had really made him laugh. Usually on his dates, the conversation consisted of dry banter full of forced chuckling on his part and over-exaggerated giggling on theirs.

The sex didn't always make up for the tedium of what came before it.

"I'd never dream of making fun of you, Kaoru," he drawled, watching her narrow her lovely eyes even more, if that was possible. "From the stories Megumi's told me about you, I know you're not someone I'd want to trifle with."

Kaoru felt her cheeks burn. Was this smug asshole making fun of her or not? She couldn't tell. Reading people wasn't her strong suit, unless they had a wooden practice sword in their hands.

She wasn't sure why she'd felt compelled to sit at the table instead of storming out of the restaurant like she'd been planning to. Heck, she still had half a mind to do just that, but something – she didn't know what – kept her from getting up.

Pride probably had something to do with it. After that embarrassing display, she had no desire to run away like a little girl who couldn't handle herself in a mature social setting.

Luckily, she was spared from having to form any kind of response, as the server chose that moment to appear at her elbow.

"Good evening, my friends. My name is Raoul, and I will be your waiter tonight. May I start you off with an appetizer? I recommend the fresh garden gazpacho with our famous flat bread."

Well she WAS hungry and even if her "date" was a self-satisfied jerk, there was no point in letting him ruin her first night out as a single woman in almost a year.

She didn't trust this guy's knowing looks or his vaguely suggestive comments, but there was no denying he was paying her a flattering amount of attention. Attention that Enishi had withheld from her the last several months they'd been together. Attention that she didn't want to admit she'd been craving.

They placed their orders, and thanked Raoul as he moved to take their menus.

Taking a deep breath, Kaoru steeped her fingers together in front of her face and leaned inward slightly. However, she made a conscious effort to make her face look as cold and unfriendly as possible, just so he didn't get the impression that she had entirely lowered her guard just yet.

She hated that his response was simply to smile a cold smile of his own. Did he have to look so good while doing it? Jerk.

"What did you say your name was?"

* * *

Author's Notes: If you'd like to see a picture of Kaoru's dress, just type "blue lipsy lace dress" into the google search engine. The sleeveless version should be your second or first result.

Thanks again to everyone who left a review! As far as this chapter goes, I was really trying to get their whole date into one chapter, but I felt it would work better as two. Plus, this one felt like it was running on a bit... Hopefully the meeting between Kenshin and Kaoru lived up to everyone's expectations!

I'm shooting to have chapter four out next week. Wish me luck!


	4. Chances and Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

* * *

"So, Kenshin… What do you do? Aside from bullying young women into going on dates with you?"

The amber stare that met hers across the tabletop flashed once, though not with anger and annoyance, as she'd hoped. If anything, he seemed to derive some kind of sick amusement from her attempts to bait him.

'Is this guy a freaking masochist or what?' she wondered, taking an unladylike swig of wine. No, surely not. He wasn't taking pleasure in her abuse. He was acting more like someone watching a yappy dog run around in circles on its tether, wearing itself out to the laughter of more intelligent observers.

Thinking of herself as the stupid yappy dog in that scenario only made her angrier. She set her wineglass down on the table with more force than necessary, her eyes narrowing further as she glared at the infuriatingly calm man sitting across from her.

"Well? Did I hit too close to the truth?" She continued recklessly, almost not even caring any more if she'd crossed the line from rudeness into open malice. "You must be a pretty pathetic person to—"

"I do a little of this and that at the consulting firm I work for," he interrupted as smoothly as if he simply hadn't heard the second part of her outburst. His smile however, didn't match his casual tone. It showed just a little too much tooth to be considered polite. The candlelight flickered and Kaoru started, looking more closely at the man's perfect incisors. For a moment, they'd almost looked like fangs…

'That's it,' Kaoru thought decisively, reaching for her glass of water. 'No more wine for me tonight.'

"I won't bore you with the details, but it's the type of work that gives me all the downtime I need to pursue other… interests. How about you, Kaoru?" The way he caressed her name, almost purring the last syllable, made her shiver.

In disgust, of course.

"I'm finishing up my student-teaching gig at Shukosen Elementary School," she said, hackles rising in preparation to defend herself from the scornful words she was sure would come next.

"That must be rewarding. I imagine younger children are easier to work with than teenagers…"

"No," she argued, more to be contrary than anything else. "If anything, it's more difficult because most of them haven't learned to control their emotions yet."

"_Really_? How interesting…"

'SMUG ASSHOLE! Damn him!' Her face felt like it was on fire. She couldn't fairly place the blame on him though; she'd walked right into that one.

If she could only make him lose his temper the way she'd lost hers! Not only would she feel much better, this stupid date – Hook-up? Booty call? Horribly arranged scheme brought about by a soon-to-be dead friend? – might end and she'd be off the hook.

It didn't help that she was only working herself up more the more she sulked and brooded.

'Okay, Kaoru. We need to calm down,' she mentally coached herself. 'I'm too old for this shit.'

Taking a breath and forcing her teeth to unclench, she tried to think instead about the fact that while his response had pissed her off, he hadn't arrived at the conclusion everyone else did, until she'd brought him there.

She knew she didn't seem like she had the right temperament for teaching. Megumi, Misao, and Enishi had all made their opinions on that front abundantly clear. She'd lacked the words to describe to them how good it felt to shape and mold young minds; how it gentled her and calmed her in a way nothing else really could.

Instead of pointing out her obvious lack of patience and shortcomings in that area, Kenshin had shown genuine interest. She was almost 60% sure it was genuine, at least. Courtesy certainly hadn't influenced any of his conversation tonight.

'To be fair though, I haven't really given him a chance to be courteous,' she thought, grudgingly. There was no telling exactly what Megumi had told the guy about her situation, and she certainly wasn't going to ask. 'There's no point in punishing him for something that might not even be his fault.'

She sighed. If she couldn't scare him away with her bad manners and temper, it might be worth it to at least try to be civil.

'BUT! I'll only be as civil as he is,' she decided, forgetting her promise to lay off the wine and taking a deep swig.

As the bracing warmth of the alcohol gently burned its way down her throat, Kaoru finally lifted her gaze and met his without flinching.

"I've enjoyed teaching ever since seeing my father do it when I was little."

oOo

For his part, Kenshin was having a hard time reining in his fascination as he watched the expressions chase each other across the young woman's face. He tried to recall if he'd ever met anyone so blunt and unguarded with their feelings.

Surely it should bore him that her every emotion was plainly written across her face? Surely he would take charge of the conversation any minute now, and steer it in the direction he wanted.

But he found that what he wanted… was to wait and see what she'd do next. Already she'd worked herself up into a fine rage. It entertained him to no end that with no prodding from him – well, maybe some prodding. She was fun to provoke, after all – her fury had burned hotter and hotter until her tone had abandoned all pretense of civility.

He wondered if she'd be this passionate and hateful in his bed.

To his amazement, he realized his breathing had gotten heavier while thinking about it. _That_ certainly hadn't happened in a while.

But then, he liked to steer clear of the feisty ones for just that reason. They were more rewarding to break, true, but the disappointment was so much more _bitter_ when he realized the warmth they brought him died with the afterglow. They were the ones who'd named him.

_Slayer of Women_. The moniker was as silly and childish as they were.

It was easier then, to choose the ones who were as cold as he was.

Kaoru, however, was something else. She had more spirit and fire than most. Or was he just too out of touch with her type to realize she was just like the rest of them? He wasn't certain, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be.

Her voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"I've enjoyed teaching ever since seeing my father do it when I was little."

Beautiful. Her eyes were beautiful. He could easily see in them the wistfulness warring with the good memories; the stubborn pride and the carefully hidden grief.

She was vulnerable now, yet viciously strong as well; ready to relax her stance but poised to snap back into aggression at the slightest provocation. A trap then? To see if he would pry? No. From what he'd seen of her, he was fairly certain she didn't possess the guile for it.

To recognize that she meant her words simply as they were on the surface enthralled him all over again. He followed suit.

"Your father was your inspiration? What did he teach?"

"Kendo. Our family ran a small dojo out of our home, and that's where he taught until I was sixteen." He took her lack of correction at his use of the past tense to mean he'd guessed right.

"Do you practice the art as well?"

"Yes, actually. I even give lessons to a group of students after hours at the school." She cracked a reluctant smile, obviously warming to the subject. He was surprised when she went so far as to stick her tongue out at him playfully. "I guess you could say that's a big hobby of mine."

Genuine interest almost filtered into his tone as he asked her polite questions about it. He practiced a more lethal form of swordsmanship himself, so he was fluent enough on the subject. Besides, it was odd enough to hear of a woman practicing kendo – at least to the degree she described – that he was honestly curious.

He had to remind himself obliquely that he was only there for one reason: To fuck Kamiya Kaoru. He might be planning on enjoying it more than he'd originally anticipated, but that didn't change the facts, and he wanted no confusion in the matter.

Despite her naïve insistence that she call it a date, he knew what they were doing could only be classified as such in the broadest sense.

oOo

Damn it! She was tipsy again!

She hadn't planned on allowing herself to relax so much, especially since she couldn't really say she trusted the red-haired bastard yet… but the conversation had flowed as easily as the wine, and their server had made sure she hadn't lacked for a full glass.

Still though, she wasn't sure how they'd ended up waiting for a taxi together.

It occurred to her that it might be safer to call Megumi, but damn it if she wasn't still royally pissed at the older girl. 'Plus,' whispered a devious, alcohol-induced voice in her head. 'Wasn't this the point of the whole night?'

No! She absolutely could NOT sleep with this guy.

So what if his eyes gleamed with a thousand unspoken promises of carnal bliss? So what she suspected he was built like a freaking underwear model underneath that silky shirt of his? So what if she'd caught herself fantasizing about sinking her fingers into that luscious crimson hair more than once this evening?

"Cold?" he murmured, looking at her in a way that made her uncomfortably aware that she'd been staring. She let him wrap an arm around her shoulders, more so she could duck her face away from those knowing amber eyes than out of a need for warmth.

'God, he smells fantastic…' Kaoru moaned, mentally. Sandalwood and some kind of spice invaded her senses, and she actually felt herself sway a bit, dizzy.

Kenshin's arm tightened around her, sliding lower so that it wound around her torso under her arm, pinning her to his side and holding her upright. He leaned down to speak, the warmth of his breath against the cold, sensitive shell of her ear making her almost whimper.

"You haven't changed your mind… Have you, Kaoru?"

It was no good, the wine was making her all muzzy and confused. She couldn't remember why she was giving this incredibly sexy guy such a hard time. There had been a good reason, hadn't there?

"My mind?" she asked, her voice pitched so low, she barely heard it herself.

"I can make you feel so good, Kaoru…"

This was punctuated by a light, nipping kiss on the side of her exposed neck, right where her pulse was fluttering.

Kaoru gasped, an almost forgotten heat stirring in her belly. How long had it been since she'd felt that? Five months? Six?

"Fuck this," she growled, turning in his arms before bringing his lips to hers in a rough kiss.

oOo

No finesse. No tenderness. No tongue even, really.

Kaoru's kiss was more a violent clashing of teeth that briefly made him see stars.

Yet none of that changed the fact that he was almost fully erect by the time he had her lips parted enough to get the first taste of her.

He'd been semi-hard ever since they'd left the restaurant, though. Her honesty and openness only increased with drink, apparently, and she might as well have crawled on his lap for all the sexual signals she'd been putting out.

Her fidgeting and blushing whenever he'd caught her staring at him were telling, but not as much as the quiet gasp she'd let loose when his foot had grazed her calf under the dinner table. He'd lost count of the number of times she'd drifted off, staring at his mouth and unconsciously biting her own lips.

The fact that she was so unaware of herself made it all the more alluring.

To have someone so sincere in his bed… He wanted to know if she would hold back or if she was as free with herself between the sheets as she was now. He wanted to know what he could do to make her scream his name.

His cock throbbed at the thought, and when she shifted closer to him, he let out a muttered oath.

If the taxi didn't get here soon, he'd wind up taking her right there on the cold, hard ground outside the restaurant. Remembering himself, he consciously slowed things down.

One of his hands worked its way under the fabric of her dress where it dipped low in the back. The feel of silky, firm flesh made him want more, and he used his free hand to tilt her head so that he could assault her mouth from another angle. His reward was a breathy moan of satisfaction.

He kissed her deeply, tasting the wine on her tongue as she fought to regain dominance.

'NO.'

He broke away with a snarl. If she was drunk, she couldn't be honest.

What had he been thinking? Was he truly so drugged on her that it had taken him this long to realize just how inebriated she actually was?

It would be tantamount to date rape to go any further with her now, especially since she hadn't seemed all too enamored of the idea before. He'd thought he had simply succeeded in charming her; that she'd only drunk enough to loosen up… but the evidence that she wasn't herself was painfully obvious now that he saw it.

She watched him, confusion and hurt pride evident in her large blue eyes. Her lips were swollen from his attentions, and her breath was coming in deep, ragged pants.

The idea that he should just keep going; that he would make sure she couldn't regret any of it come morning; tempted him.

No. He couldn't.

As much as he'd tried not to, he had bonded with her on some level. Anyone else and he might have been able to convince himself… but she wasn't anyone else, and therein lay the problem.

Luckily, the taxi chose that moment to pull up, and Kenshin was able to pack her in the back seat ahead of him.

"Kenshin, what— "

"Give the driver your address, Kaoru." Curtly, she complied, before crossing her arms and turning huffily to glare out her window.

Kenshin grimaced. It would be a long ride.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the delay getting this chapter out. Things have been hectic to say the least. I made it a little longer though, as a peace offering! I'm not totally happy with the way it turned out, what with the flip-flopping perspectives, but I've been staring at it too long to trust my own judgment anyway...

Originally I had planned this story to be around five or six chapters, definitely no more than eight. Now, though… I'm not sure. I'm a little stuck on the plot right now, so we'll see how it goes. In the meantime, there's some more Battousai and some Kaoru being Kaoru.

Melay – It's ironic because I find Kaoru to be more beautiful in both the manga and in the anime as well. I hate the whole 'informed beauty' thing. It's almost as annoying as 'informed ugly' like in Hollywood movies where the girl in the frumpy sweater with glasses – who clearly still looks like a supermodel underneath them – is supposed to be the ugly girl.

J Luc Pitard – Haha! Go easy on her; she's only human after all. She's also had quite a bit to drink, and who here has made bad choices while drunk that they regretted the next day? *raises hand* This guy.

the Dah – Yeah, I definitely can't give myself any points on originality, but I save that for my novels. In Fanfiction land, I tend to let my lazier plot bunnies run wild. Still, it's all in good fun! Glad you're enjoying the story so far.

Until next time, folks! Please review! As you can see, I love hearing what people think.


End file.
